When fabrics are washed using conventional washing and drying techniques, such fabrics often become wrinkled. This is particularly true for fabrics which contain a high content of cellulosic fibers, such as cotton, rayon and ramie. Without being limited by theory, it is believed that the hydrogen bonding between the cellulose chains within these fibers is disrupted by water and mechanical action during the washing and drying processes, and are not properly reformed upon drying. This gives garments an undesired wrinkled appearance, which can be further exacerbated if the clothes are left in the automatic tumble dryer after the drying cycle is completed.
While mechanical wrinkle reduction techniques such as the application of heat and pressure (e.g. ironing and steaming) can be used to reduce or remove wrinkles, these methods are inconvenient and time consuming, and the effect generally deteriorates when the garment is worn.
Crosslinking agents such as dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea and butanetetracarboxylic acid can be used in the textile mills during the fabric manufacture to reduce the wrinkle formation. Though these agents can provide a wrinkle benefit, such agents generally significantly reduce fiber strength, reducing the lifespan of the textile, and entail aggressive curing conditions that are not suitable for home application.
Many attempts have been made to reduce wrinkles by chemical ingredients which can be added to the wash, rinse or applied as a spray after the fabric is retrieved from the dryer. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,852. Agents such as ethoxylated organosilicones, polyalkylene oxide modified polydimethylsiloxanes, betaine siloxane copolymers, and alkyl lactam siloxane copolymers may be used. However, these agents are generally not chemically stable in aqueous acid or alkaline environments and are therefore generally unsuitable for fabric softeners that are typically formulated at a low pH. Moreover, these agents do not typically deposit effectively on the fabric when they are incorporated into laundry detergents.
Curable amine functional silicones have also been suggested for reducing wrinkles in fabrics. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,026. However, amino-containing silicones are known to interact with a material comprising an aldehyde and/or ketone group, such as perfumes, causing yellowing of the finished product. This is problematic, in that perfume ingredients often contain these chemical groups, and delivering a perfume benefit to the consumer is highly desired.
As such, there remains a need for fabric care compositions that provide a wrinkle benefit to fabrics, and which can be formulated with a wide variety of materials comprising an aldehyde and/or ketone group, such as perfume ingredients.
There is also a need for fabric care composition that provide unique fabric feel benefits.
There is also a need for fabric care active that provide efficient fabric deposition through laundry wash/rinse cycles.